Republic Day is the name of a
holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became
republics.
[edit]January
[edit]January 1st in Slovak republic
The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially called The day of establishment of Slovak republic.
[edit]January 9th in Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
After
Yugoslavia fell apart,
Serbs in
Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted to stay with
Serbia and
Montenegro.
Croats and
Bosniaks, on the other hand, wanted to create an independent state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 9 January 1992, Bosnian Serb authorities declared the creation of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, now called
Republika Srpska ("Serb Republic", not to be confused with the
Republic of Serbia) as a state within the country of Bosnia of Herzegovina. Republika Srpska now celebrates Republic Day on the anniversary of the state's creation.
[edit]January 26th in India
George VI was the last and only "Emperor" of modern India.
To mark this occasion, a grand parade is held near
Rajpath in
New Delhi, the
capital of India, beginning from
Raisina Hill near the
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace), along the
Rajpath, past
India Gate and on to the historic
Red Fort in the old quarter of the city. Different infantry, cavalry and mechanized regiments the
Indian Army, the
Indian Marines and the
Indian Air Force march in formation, decked in all their finery and official decorations. The
President of India, who is also the
Commander in Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, relishes the salute. The
Chief Guest of the parade is the Head of State or Head of Government of another nation. The parade also includes many traditional dance troupes, to symbolize the cultural heritage of India. It traditionally ends with a colourful
flypast by
Indian Air Force jets in a
tiranga formation. Similar parades are held in the
capitals of all the states of India, where the Governors of the respective states take the salute. The official conclusion of republic day festivities is much later on 30 January, four days after the Republic day.
[edit]February
[edit]February 1 in Hungary
On February 1, 1946
Hungary commemorates the proclamation of Republic of Hungary. Since 2004, this day is national commemoration day, without being public or national Holiday.
[edit]March 23 in Pakistan
In
Pakistan this day marks the passing of the
Lahore Resolution. Republic Day of Pakistan was first observed in 1956 when Pakistan officially became an Islamic Republic and shunned the former status of
Dominion. The main events of this day include a full
military paradeand the awarding of honours at the
Presidency (Presidential Palace) by the
President. Every year, on March 23, the Pakistani people commemorate their National Day in remembrance of “The Pakistan Resolution” passed on March 23, 1940, in the historic city of Lahore which is also the day the country was declared a republic.
[edit]May 28 in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nepal
A decade-long People's Revolution by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) along with several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties of Nepal in 2006, culminated in a peace accord and the ensuing elections for the constituent assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the abdication of the last Nepali monarch Gyanendra Shah and the establishment of a federal democratic republic on May 28, 2008.
[edit]May 31 in South Africa (1961–1994)
Between 1961 and 1994, May 31 was celebrated in South Africa as
Republic Day. This practice was discontinued in 1995 following the attainment of majority rule and the reorganisation of public holidays as a consequence. On the last Republic Day, in 1994, South Africa rejoined the
Commonwealth of Nations.
[edit]June 2nd in Italy
After 85 years of
monarchy, with 12,717,923 votes for and 10,719,284 votes against,
Italy became a Republic, and the monarchs of the
House of Savoy were deposed and exiled. This is one of the most important Italian public holidays which, like July 14 in France and July 4 in the USA, celebrates the birth of the nation. A grand military parade is held in central Rome.
[edit]July 1st in Ghana
Ghana's republican day.
[edit]July 14 in Iraq
July 14, 1958 is the day the Hashemite monarchy was overthrown in Iraq by popular forces lead by
Abdul Karim Kassem, who became the nation's new leader. The event was commemorated in Baghdad with a statue in 14 July Square.
[edit]July 25 in Tunisia
It's the day monarchy was abolished by the National Assembly and Republic was proclaimed.
Habib Bourguiba was chosen to be the first President.
[edit]October
[edit]October 5th in Portugal
October 5 in Portugal is known as
Implantação da República. It celebrates the proclamation of the
Portuguese First Republic in 1910.
[edit]October 10th in Republic of China
[edit]October 24th in Rhodesia (1970-1979)
Although the government of
Ian Smith declared
Rhodesia (now
Zimbabwe) a republic on March 2, 1970, it was officially commemorated on October 24. Following independence in 1980, the holiday was abolished.
[edit]October 25th in Kazakhstan
In the waning days of Soviet rule, individual
republics of the Soviet Union sought greater autonomy. The
Soviet Union agreed in early 1990 to give up its monopoly of political power. Following the lead of
Lithuanian SSR,
Russian SFSR and others,
Kazakh SSR declared its sovereignty on October 25, 1990, and
Kazakhstan subsequently became independent on December 16, 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed. October 25, the anniversary of the adoption of the "Declaration on State Sovereignty of Kazakh SSR" by the Kazakh legislature in 1990, is now commemorated as Republic Day (
Kazakh:
Республика күні, Respwblïka küni), a
public holiday in Kazakhstan.
[edit]October 29th in Turkey
On October 29, 1923, the
Turkish constitution was amended and
Turkey became a
republic. This formally declared the dissolution of the
Ottoman Empire. Republic Day (
Turkish:
Cumhuriyet Bayramı) is celebrated throughout Turkey and Northern Cyprus every year. Commemorative events usually begin in the afternoon on the previous day. In observance of the holiday, government offices and schools close for a day. Also, there are fireworks shows in all cities of Turkey.That day everyone commemorates Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
[edit]November
[edit]November 11th in the Maldives
On November 11, 1968,
Maldives the then existing monarchy was abolished and replaced by a republic.
[edit]November 15th in Brazil
On November 15, 1889, in the city of Rio de Janeiro (the Brazilian capital at that time), a military coup led by Field Marshal
Deodoro da Fonseca overthrew Emperor
Pedro II and declared
Brazil a republic.
[edit]November 29 in former Yugoslavia (1945–1990)
In
elementary schools first graders were inducted into the
Pioneer Movement on or around Republic Day. Employees merged the holiday with weekends and extra days off to form 3-, 4- or even 5-day weekends. Urban dwellers took the occasion to visit their relatives in the country, who marked the event with
pig slaughter and the ensuing feast.
In 1980s, as central and
Communist Party authority eroded, dissenters targeted Republic Day celebrations for criticism. In 1987
Bosniangarage rock band
Zabranjeno pušenje published a song entitled
Dan Republike, in which they criticized the state of the economy and protested the general indifference to the ideals behind the holiday. The band had to
change some of the lyrics before being allowed to air the song.
[edit]December
[edit]December 13th in Malta
[edit]December 18th in Niger
The 16th is celebrated in Niger with official festivals and appearances of political leaders, as well as public parties and festivities. The 50th anniversary celebrations were held in 2006, centered not in the capitol, but in the regional center of
Tillabéry, and surrounded by sports, musical and arts competitions, the opening of new buildings, a National Youth Festival, and other public festivities.
[1][edit]Republic Day in other countries
[edit]See also
[edit]References